Firearms have been used for several centuries for various purposes including as weapons for warfare, law enforcement, self defense, hunting, and target practice. Although many new weapons and weapon systems have been developed, firearms are still widely used and soldiers are trained in firearm use and carry firearms in essentially all armies throughout the world. Over time, firearms have been improved in many ways, but opportunities for improvement still exist in particular areas and for particular aspects of these devices.
Firearms have been built that use energy from the firing of one round to load the next round into the chamber for firing. In various configurations, the first round to be fired must be loaded manually and the firearm must be cocked (e.g., the bolt or carrier pulled back) to fire the first round. For this purpose, firearms have been equipped with charging handles that are operated (e.g., pulled back) by the operator in order to load the first round and prepare the weapon for firing the first round. Charging handles have been used that engaged the bolt or carrier with a lateral projection, tang, or drop down tab at the forward end or tip of the charging handle. The tang, tip or drop down tab of the charging handle previously extended below the side walls of the charging handle to engage the forward part of the carrier. The operator of the firearm would pull the charging handle rearward until it stopped, which would pull the carrier rearward and compress a buffer spring. The operator would then let the charging handle return forward and the forward motion of the carrier would charge the weapon. The operator would then push the charging handle forward into its stowed position and the rifle would then be charged and ready to fire.
In prior firearms, the tang, tip or drop down tab of the charging handle, however, has been know to wear, deform, or even break, for instance, from repeated use, particularly from rough use or where other issues exist with the mechanism. Cracks, fractures, or bending has occurred in past charging handles, for example, where the tang, tip or drop down tab of the charging handle extends below the side walls of the stem of the charging handle. A need or potential for benefit or improvement exists for firearms wherein the charging handle engages the carrier in a more robust manner that is less prone to wear, damage, or failure. Room for improvement exists over the prior art in these and other areas that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art having studied this document.